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{Now Closed} How Do You Encourage Your Child to Read? + VTech V.Reader Giveaway

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Sofia Reading a book...

Encouraging kids to read in their off season (aka summer break) can be a chore. However, there are ways to make it fun. Even places in your community like your local library, which tries to make reading even more fun.

First of all, is finding books that your child is interested in. Younger kids this is usually easier because there is a wider selection. When they get older, their tastes may change but finding a series or type of book your child loves is key.

As a child (and even as an adult), I’m always reading a book. I know you probably wonder when I have time to read but I FIND time for it. Whether, it be a book on a my Kindle app that I’m reading as I’m drying my hair, sitting in line at the bank, or any free chance I get I have my nose in a book.

The VTech V.Reader has quickly become “the” toy in household. When I say it like that, I mean its “the” toy that all the younger kids are fighting over. However, they have learned they all sit and listen or read a story on the V.Reader. Not only it is fun and sleek like a Kindle, it is educational. (But let’s keep that our secret!)

How do you encourage your child to read? Leave your answer in the comments and you will be entered to win a VTech V.Reader in either pink or blue plus an additional game ($80 value).

How to Win?

Prize: V.Reader (pink or blue) + One Game ($80 value)

You can enter up to 3 times with the following methods:

1. Leave a comment on how you encourage your child to read! Creative answers are encouraged!

2. Become a Facebook Liker of Vtech Toys and Bargain Briana on Facebook.

3. Tweet the following on Twitter:

How do you encourage your child to read? Plus, win the new V.Reader from @bargainbriana and @VTechToys http://bit.ly/c541t8 #v.reader

Please leave a comment for each additional entry.

Giveaway Ends 7/23/2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Winner will be chosen by random. Be sure bargainbriana@gmail.com is in your safe sender list as you don’t want to miss the email if you are the chosen winner. If winner doesn’t respond to my email within 48 hours, I will pick another winner. U.S. Entries only.

This giveaway was sponsored by VTech through Motherhood.com. Post was written 100% by me and was not edited by the sponsor. Read more on my Disclosure Policy.

Want to win more? Enter to win the rest of my current giveaways!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. My daughter is 6 and a reader but to keep her wanting to read,we read to one another she reads a page and i read the next this way she hear the excitment in reading.

  3. I read a lot in front of my kids. I also have them read so many books, write them down & then get a small prize after so many books. IN the summer I do the summer programs!

  6. my kids love books ( even though they can’t read)…. their dad reads to them everynight ( it’s their thing) each night 1 child gets to pick out a book and he reads it too them. But, I think they prefer when I do it because they know I embellish alot and make up my own story. They often get books and act like they are reading and I hear them making up the stories by whatever picture they see.

  10. I let my kids pick what books they want to read. Even if my stepdaughter just wants to read a magazine or a comic it still engages her in reading and that is the most important thing.

  11. Start reading a book SERIES to your child…if they like the book they may want to read another in that series. Examples of series books are the Boxcar Mysteries, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, Matt Christopher Sports books, Junie B. Jones etc.

  15. I used to have a reading chart…Everytime I read to them or they read to me they would get to put a sticker on it…When they reached a certian amount of stickers they would get a praze…Anywhere from $1 to a trip to the ice cream store!

  17. To be perfectly honest, I’m having SUCH a hard time getting my 2 year old and 1 year old to read books! But I let them choose their own books and then read them in fun voices. My little girl LOVES when I “sing” the books instead of just read them!

  19. my kids and I love to go to the bookstore. I feel if they have a positive experience looking at books they will want to read them. Plus we also read to my kids alot!

  22. Right now with my oldest we read a book every night and I have started to do flash cards with him so he can learn how to sound out words.

  24. My son loves to go to the library, and he loves for us to read to him at night. As the commercials say, read to your child everyday so that they’ll develop a love of reading. We also work with Hooked on Phonics.

  25. i encourage my Daughtrs (6 & 3) to read by reading with them during the day & before bed. My girls LOVE to read and lvoe go to the Library with their Grandpa :)
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  26. I like VTech & Bargain Briana on FB :)
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  28. Reading is our “personal” time with each child we lay in their beds with them and read a book — they each love this time and have their book for the night picked out the day before.

  29. We encourage our 5 year old to read by doing our own reading club. She gets points for the books that she reads then can turn those points into prizes.

  30. i follow u on facebook. we always have books around for reading. my son likes to pick out his book to read and he usually knows the title by reading them not only when we are at home but while we are on the road traveling or in a restaurant. and he is nearly 2. we read them so much he is starting to recognize what each page is about. will bring the book and say “we read”,very cute.

  31. My girls are 3 and 18 months. My 3 year old has loved to read books with me since she was very little. My 18 m has just recently started loving to read. To encourage reading we read a few books (more books the more time we have before bedtime) before we take them to bed. I let Cadence (my 18m) pick out which books she wants to read, I will read a couple to her by herself. But Jolene (my 3 yr old) doesn’t let me reading to her by herself last too long. So we read a book or two together. Then after Cadence goes to bed Jolene chooses a few books she wants to read. I can’t say we stick to this every single night of the week, but we sure do try. It gets harder in the summer for us as we love to be outside! I also try never to turn down my girls when they ask through out the day. For my 3 year old, she obviously can’t read yet, but I like to have her ‘read’ me a book after I read her one. She enjoys that a lot. We also have for my 3 year old, these flip book things that are sort of like flash cards. She looooves those.

    Thanks for the opportunity. I also ‘liked’ vtech on fb and I already ‘liked’ you :o)

  32. I read to him. We have regular reading time each day and then he “reads” back to me (retelling the story) as he is just learning the ‘blends’.

  33. I encourage my child to read by everyday having story time and sometimes we read the same book but he loves it now and rather grab a book then a toy:)

  34. I have been reading to my kids since they were in the womb. Both of them love books. I also participate in library activities.

  36. At this point, all we do is read at bedtime and at random during playtimes and our 3 year old loves it. Sorry that’s not very creative. Thanks for the opportunity!

  39. I use flash cards with basic sight words. After practicing the words, my son or I, will put together short sentences. He reads them back to me.

  40. Besides encouraging him to read books to his dad and me at bedtime, when we are driving in the car I point out random signs or billboards and ask him what it says. I make it into a game to see how much of it he can read before we pass it.

  42. I read a lot & read to my daughter every day. She has her own bookshelf filled with books & she loves trips to the library.

  43. We read to our son at least twice a day before naptime and bedtime. Plus, we bought him foam letters for bathtime, so he’d learn the alphabet early on!

  46. We have a ton of books, so we’re always changing them out so it’s like she’s reading new books every few days. We also keep some in the car so she can read while headed to the sitter’s.

  47. I encourage reading by reading the same book together and then we get to ask each other questions and win prizes! M&M’s for example!

  48. We make reading fun! We read every day and make all the silly voices of each character and our son loves it!

  49. I don’t think it is creative but kids have been loving putting a sticker on a chart that the library gave us for their summer reading program. When we finish 20 days they go in to get a book. Also son has been encouraged to read 10 books from Borders to get a free book.

  55. I like to sit as a family and read my sons will take turns reading to us and they love it. sometimes we play games to help them read.

    chantal cooper
    chantalgiardina (at) yahoo.com

  57. We go to activities at the library that encourage reading and we also have reading nights in our home where we unplug the tv, computer and then share about what we read.

  59. My daughter is almost two and loves books so I don’t really have to try at encouraging her, but we read to her often and usually we get tired of reading (the same book over and over and over) before she does :)

  62. I read to my kids as babies and continued even after they could read to themselves. We had stories at naptime and bedtime and when older I had them read to me at times. We made regular trips to the library. If they were interested in a specific subject I had them check a book out about it or bought them one. There were always books in the pockets on back of my truck seats. I’ve done the very same things with my grandkids except now we attend library programs in the summer. I always try to get the older kids to read to the younger ones. Even my one yr. old grandson sits quietly if his sister or I read to him.

  63. We try to go to storytime at the library once per week and at home we have our own storytime during the day, too :) My daughter has just taken off with her reading so this toy would be awesome!

  64. I am an elementary teacher. Every day, after lunch, I read the class a chapter or two from a book. By the end of the school year, we have read at least nine or ten books. Many parents have commented to me that their children discovered how fascinating books can be because of this daily read-aloud.

  65. Reading time is our wind down before bedtime. My 4 yr old son sits in my lap and we turn the pages together and read the words. I pause occassionally to prompt him to tell me what the next word is or to explain what’s about to happen. This bonding time is what I hope will make the joy of reading last.

    Just two weeks ago we made a big adventure out of going to the library, getting his library card, and checking out a couple of books. It was really momentous – I’ve been going to that same library since I was not too much older than him.

    Another thing we do (indirectly) to encourage reading is simply limit the time available to TV. And that is becoming increasingly more challenging as he gets older – TV is like crack for kids! We supplement the TV shows he watches with books from the same series to sorta continue the story. And sure enough, the Thomas the Tank Engine and Bob the Builder books are some of his favorite reads.

  70. I am a liker on facebook of Bargain Briana and Vtech. And my 2 year old and I take our books outside to lay on a blanket to read. We make it a book picnic. We take our water bottles with us and just lay there and read. During the winter months we have a book picnic in the basement on a blanket. She really thinks its fun!

  72. We always leave books out for our son to read, in every room there’s a book stack and we make it a point to read morning, night and during the day together.

  74. I encourage my daughter to read by letting her see me enjoy reading. She sees that I enjoy it, so she wants to read too!
    mearley1979 at gmail dot com

  75. We allow the kids to pick out books that they are interested in. Plus, we never use them as punishment. So regardless of behavior, there is always family time for reading.

  77. I am a Facebook Liker of Vtech Toys and Bargain Briana on Facebook
    (Heather Ransom)

  78. I use to pick all the books at the library but my daughter never seemed to be interested. Now I take her to the library and she gets to pick all her books out and she seems more excited to read a book she picked out each night. Simple but worked! Also sometimes before we read the story, we will have her tell us a story just from the pictures. After, we read the actual story and compare hers to the real one and see which one she likes better. She really gets a kick out of it!

  81. We go to the library every week and the kids pick out their own books. I’m also always on the lookout at yard sales for new books!

  82. We bribe our kids to read by allowing them to “earn” computer or DS time by reading. Not creative, but it seems to work!

  84. I encourage my grand-daughters to read by going to the library weekly and reading out loud every evening, Each child has to pick a subject to read so they can teach one another. We also make up our own story and make a small book with pictures so we can share with each other. Some of the stories are so funny and each week I can’t wait to see what they are going to come up with.

  87. i read to my son and then we look at the pictures and i ask him questions and let him tell me things about the pictures/story

  88. The kids choose their own books (within reason)….this way they are invested in the choice and more likely to read!

  90. I encourage my granddaughter to love reading (she’s not quite one) by making sure she’s constantly surrounded by books, and by making all of the sounds and voices.

    jan_ackerson at yahoo dot com

  92. If your child is willing, whatever his or her age, don’t be afraid to read aloud. Reading to children is one of the best ways to encourage interest in reading. Older brothers and sisters can read to younger children. If you’re child is too old to be read to (some would suggest that no one is too old to be read to), just read articles aloud from the newspaper from time to time.

  94. we turn off the tv!! we turn off the computer, we turn off all games , anything that makes sounds, beeps, or music gets turned off! then we sit in the big comfy recliner , we create funny voices for the characters in the story, i do most of the reading with stops to let the kids read a section and make voices, the funny voices is like a big game and that keeps them interested in wanting more

  96. I make reading fun, my kids love the voices and the overly animated reading! Plus I always let my children pick out which books they’d like for me to read as well!

  97. I like to give my daughter a tote bag and let her fill it with her picks at the library. It helps her stake her claim plus she gets to evaluate books and decide on which ones will interest her most.

  99. I make sure to read to him every day, and get books that he would be very interested in, so about monsters, bugs, etc. I also have started taking him to the library as well.

  100. Summer reading program every year. Treasure box and anything else I can think of to help. My middle daughter has reading difficulties. I love to read!!! Hope to win, thanks-

  101. story time at the library is nice… but i really think that when they see me ready they want to read as well… no magic needed in this house!

  102. My baby boy is only 10 1/2 months old. However, I read to him every day, sometimes more than once a day. If I say, Ok turn the page, he knows to turn it and does. It’s so cute. Sometimes he’ll grab a book and give it to me and I know he wants me to read to him. When I do, he has the biggest smile.
    sweetpeonies07 at gmail

  104. In my opinion the best way to encourage reading is to read with your child! ggriffith20(@)yahoo.com

  105. I liked you on facebook and liked V.Tech on facebook, I tweeted this giveaway on Twitter

  106. I encourage my children to read by reading aloud to them so that they can hear fluent, exprewssive reading. Also, providing markers for doodling may help if the child cannot sit and listen whild you read. When reading to your child, discuss the story aloud, and make predictions about what will happen in the story, and look at the drawings in the book.If the child appears interested in
    the book, suggest that he/she finish it on his/her own. Use the five finger test to find out if a book is too difficult for your child. Pick any page and have your child read it aloud. If he/she has difficulty five times, this is a book you should read aloud instead of having the child to do so.

  108. Oddly, our favorite book came free in a Cheerios box! (it’s called One Zany Zoo) It has EVERYTHING! Counting, shapes, rhyming, animals, words in English & Spanish & best of all, lots of opportunities for me to use silly voices & wild arm gestures. Those last 2 things are what I think encourage my boys the most. They see me having fun & want more.

  112. We always read before naptime and bedtime everyday! This way they really like reading is a reward and not a punishment.

  115. Getting into the characters of the story:- We usually plan this for weekends. I help my son to make colorful hats for all of us and we all pick a character of the story and read our lines(enact). Give award(made of paper)to our son for encouraging and showing him that he is doing great.

    Counting while reading:- Every night before bedtime we read books. We always count pages while reading books. Kids get excited to do this because they like showing off to everyone the number of pages they read.

    Reading time with friends and cousins:-
    Here, we invite our son’s friends and cousins of his age for reading time. Everybody gets a chance to read their favorite book and at the end we give all of them an ice cream treat. Kids really enjoy this.
    (mommalovesmee AT GMAIL DOT COM)

  116. Reading is part of our bedtime routine… I have been reading to my son at night time since he was a baby and he is now four. We are starting to work on sounding words out – to make it fun, we sit outside and I write out two or three letter words on the sidewalk and he sounds them. I had bought some toy story toys awhile back that we keep put away and on a successful day (i.e. he sounds 5-10 words without an issue or at least tries hard ), he gets to play with them. That really motivates him!

  117. We practice reading all the time. Not just books, but labels and signs. My children are still young so they are just learning. :)

  120. we put our girls in a summer reading program at the library. they are still to young to read themselves but we read to them all the time. It helps them learn tremendously. i even have my 3 year old telling stories to my 1 year old it is so cute.

  121. My daughter LOVES to “read” to us. She still can’t, but it doesn’t stop her. Anything to help along actual reading would be awesome for her and us!

  124. We encourage reading by ALWAYS reading 2 stories at bedtime. My 4 year old loves picking out which book Mommy will read and which book Daddy will read. We have so many books, it’s like a library in our house! The routine must work, because our 14 year old has always been an avid reader; we couldn’t keep him in books. Now he has a Kindle and it was the best present he ever got because it’s so easy to just download a book.. (I digress, sorry!)

  126. My daughters joined the reading program at our local library. They enjoy the storytime and the small prizes they are given once they have read a certain number of books.

  127. I try to keep lots of kids books accessible in most rooms of the house. If they’re going bonkers, I have them sit down and read for a bit.

  128. fifth entry:
    I let my children choose the genre/topics of their books. If they aren’t interested it is drudgery for them to read!

  131. We have cuddle time every night and read a few books together. It helps get us both sleepy :O)

  133. Our reading theme this summer has been about travel! At the library, my girls decide on books that are set-in or describe a place that they would like to visit in the future. My girls LOVE it! We’ve read all sorts of wonderful stories set in the most exciting places and after, we go online and learn more about the locations and cultures. I think I’ll get a map so we can pin all the locations they’ve learned about, so they can learn the geography aspect as well!! . It’s been so much fun, I’m trying to figure out a theme for next summer 

  135. I encourage my son to read by going to the library once a week and doing the summer reading program. I take at least two books with us wherever we go. It keeps him occupied in the car and even while we are waiting at the doctors. I also purchased a white board and some alphabet/number flashcards and we sit at the table and write them out usually once a day. He loves to write on his white board!

  136. I encourage my child to read by quizzing him on what happens next and then praising him for remembering. He loves the praise and I just love knowing that he is paying attention. :)

  139. We have a 5 and a 6 year old, and both have been reading since they were about 2 and a half. First off, I read to them from birth. EVERYnight!! Following that, I made 8.5×11 Alphabet cards with pictures when they were about a year old and we practiced sounds for about 15 minutes a day (It was in game form…they’d run to the card that made the sound I made). Then we used the subtitles on each kids show that they’d watch…by about 20 months they were trying to sound out the words on the TV, then that lead to sounding out things around the house. Now as an encouragement, For every 5 books they read, we go to the bookstore and they pick out any book in he whole store and get to read it while drinking a hot chocolate. They feel so grown up, and they want to read all of the time. :)

  140. My 4 (almost 5) year old daughter loves to write, so when she asks how to spell something, I encourage her to sound it out with me.

  142. I read with my son every day! He also has a Tag Reader that is helping him learn words & to read on his own. I also am an avid reader, so I read very often & it seems whenever I am reading, he also wants to read! Thanks Briana!

  143. I like you on Facebook and get your newsletter. My kids and I participate in the summer reading programs at our libraries (Greentown and Kokomo). My kids also get books as gifts for birthdays and Christmas.

  145. We have a 7,6 and 2 yr old so we do our the summer reading program at our local library and they enjoy choosing a book and reading out loud to each other. Even our 2 yr old will “pretend” she is reading out loud!

  148. My son loves to read. We make sure we have books in all the main rooms for him to pick from. We are in the summer library reading program. We also go to different story times at book stores around town. We try every holiday to buy him a book about that holiday. We are a big reading family :).

  153. We go to story time a few times a month and we check out books from the library weekly. My kids LOVE to read & be read to!!

  157. Reading is alos a part of our bedtime routine. We read a book to Noayh beofre bed. then he is allowed to read 1 book to us. He looks at the pictures and makes up the story or “reads” a book that he knows by heart. But he gets excited because he is reading. We also rotate books so he doesn’t get bored with them. We switch out books every month and make frequent treips to the library.

  159. We make reading a part of our everyday routine. When shopping we ask what kind of cereal etc that he wants. Then he has to find the box that says that. He gets excited to point out words that he can “read” by himself McDonalds, Walmart, etc. We review what letters are in the words when he “reads” them to us.

    **WINNER**

  160. we go to the libary often and i keep a box of books in everyroom so we can read anywhere anytime.

  162. I follow you on Facebook
    but I also write little notes to my daughter, that I put in her lunch box or bag…and they can be sweet short notes, or jokes, or anything…

  163. I encourage my daughter to read by reading to her and have her reading to me every day. We especially read the Bible at nighttime. We read signs and words when we are out and about. Sometimes I put on the closed caption on the television so she can see the words as well as hear the words of her favorite tv show. I also encourage Karaoke, she thinks she’s having fun singing, but she’s also reading.

  165. I encourage my daughter to read by making a chore list for her to read and complete, by making a “house rules” list, by making food and activity “menus” so she can decide on what to eat, and what to play/do. We write letters/thank you notes and make home-made cards for family and friends.

  167. I encourage my daughter to read by getting books based on her favorite characters/tv shows/movies..also by taking her to the library with her own card, taking her to storytime and puppet shows at the library. We do some online reading too. I read to her every night, and I have her write or draw in a journal every day. She is about to be 5 soon.

  169. I often make a snack that coordinates with a book. We’ll read “If you give a moose a Muffin” and we will eat muffins. Or read a book with “ants” and have ants on a log. It totally works!

  171. I encourage my children to read by taking them to story time at the library every Thursday! We also participate in their summer reading program and check out books every week!

  173. I try to make going to the library as fun as possible- getting him to actively involve himself in choosing the books really helps!

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